Like "a bat out of hell"

[bertsbrother]

Hi, this is a great forum! I just had to sign up so I could ask about this one. I searched for previous posts but did not find anything.

I understand it means moving fast, but what exactly does "A Bat Out of Hell" mean?

[BobK]

The idiom existed many years before the rock anthem.

Here's what Answers.com says:

like a bat out of hell

Moving extremely fast, as in She ran down the street like a bat out of hell. This expression presumably alludes to the rapid darting movement of bats and, Charles Earle Funk theorized, their avoidance of such light as might be cast by the fires of hell. [c. 1900] For a synonym, see like greased lightning.

For more: like a bat out of hell: Information from Answers.com

b

[Delmobile]

Oh, there are so many colorful expressions meaning fast. "Like sh*t through a goose" is one of my dear mother's favorites.